Subspace
was recently the topic of a thread on one of the mail lists I moderate.
Some of the list members described their experience of subspace in a manner
that another member found confusing. This member, a woman who is a survivor
of extreme abuse during her childhood, suffers from a variety of dissociative
symptoms, and she asked if perhaps she was confusing subspace and dissociation.
This was a good and important question. The short answer is, she wasnt
really confused at all, because in fact subspace is a dissociative phenomenon.

According
to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition
(or DSM-IV, the text that defines currently-recognized psychiatric and
psychological disorders, syndromes and symptoms), dissociation refers
to a disruption in the usually integrated functions of consciousness,
memory, identity or perception of the environment. It can take many
forms. Common dissociative experiences include a sense of derealization
(feeling oneself or life situation is unreal) or disconnection with ones
environment; dissociative amnesia (splitting off of part of ones
memories from the rest); isolation of affect (splitting off of ones
emotions from conscious awareness); and flashbacks (in which one becomes
so immersed in a traumatic memory that one is dissociated from awareness
of the here and now, or otherwise dissociated from their normal sense
of time). A more extreme dissociative manifestation is seen in dissociative
identity disorder (formerly called multiple personality disorder), in
which ones sense of self is fragmented into a sense of being many
selves, each to some extent independent of the others. At the core, dissociation
involves an altered state of consciousness, in which one is not conscious
of things one should be (the environment, ones feelings or memories,
continuity of identity). Dissociation and hypnotic states are closely
related, and share the same underlying neurological processes.

Subspace
is also an altered state of consciousness, one that varies from person
to person but in which ones awareness is altered dramatically. Some
submissives become immersed in sensations, to the point that they become
unaware of anything else (their environment, their identity, time); others
shut off entirely, entering a trance state in which they are no longer
conscious of their actions, experiences or surroundings. In any case,
it is clear that subspace can be considered a sort of dissociated state.
However, at least ideally, the nature of the change of consciousness is
different from trauma-related dissociation.

Traumatic
dissociation is a defensive reaction, in which one shuts off or goes away.
It starts as a reaction to unbearable events, but can become habitual
and occur in response to stimuli (i.e., triggers) that remind one of or
symbolize past abusive experiences. One often does not feel good after
such an event, or they may feel nothing at all. Sometimes a person may
have amnesia for the trigger, and thus not know what put her in that state.

Subspace
is a dissociative reaction that is more a response to intense stimulation,
and is at least partly related to biochemical changes (endorphin release,
for example) triggered by the physical and emotional stimulation during
a scene. One typically feels some physical after-effects that usually
are not regarded as unpleasant, and an emotional effect that is generally
neutral to pleasant. In addition, the person is very aware, in general,
of how they got there and that something major happened, though they may
not be able to recall details and generally don't remember much of what
occurred while they were in subspace.

Some survivors
of abuse have mixed reactions, which can involve elements of both
states, or uncontrolled switches subspace to trauma-space. Survivors of
trauma and their Dominants need to be very careful to not expose the submissive
to trigger phenomena while they are approaching or in subspace. Since
both are altered states, it is very easy for a person to go from subspace
(okay) to a flashback state (not okay). Sometimes this happens spontaneously
among abuse survivors, along the same line of their having trauma-related
nightmares or spontaneous (non-triggered) flashbacks. This can result
in the survivor-submissive being reluctant to enter into subspace in the
first place.

How can
one try to avoid this switching from a positive, desirable mental state
to a very frightening one? First, the trust bond between the submissive
and Dominant is even more crucial than ever  the submissive is less
likely to switch to trauma-space if she feels safe and protected. Second,
awareness of the survivor-sub's triggers and trauma history on the part
of both parties can help one not accidentally trigger something. Third,
through careful and patient effort, one can sometimes diminish or retrain
responses to trigger phenomena; this is not an easy task, however, and
if possible it is better to just avoid triggers.

In closing,
I should state that I am not among those who believe that sadomasochistic
or D/s orientations are uniformly the result of, or in any way related
to, history of trauma. In fact, I am not aware of any evidence that BDSM
Lifestylers have any higher rate of trauma than do individuals in the
mainstream population. That said, trauma in all forms (child abuse, incest,
rape) is all too common, and a significant portion of the population has
unfortunately had such experiences. Of those who have been traumatized,
a fair number have problems with flashbacks and other dissociative symptoms.
Thus, I feel it is very important for everyone involved in the BDSM Lifestyle
to be aware of these issues.

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